Advances in communications technology often change how people communicate and share information. More recently, social networking sites are providing new ways for users to interact and keep others abreast of their personal and business dealings. The growth of social networking sites is staggering. New sites are emerging daily and new users are joining in droves. Today, social networking sites are being used regularly by millions of people around the globe, and it seems that social networking via websites will continue to be a part of everyday life at least in the United States.
The main types of social networking services provided by social networking sites are those which contain directories or categories, a means to connect with friends, and a means to recommend other individuals. For example, a social networking site may allow a user to identify an individual as a friend, a former classmate, or an uncle. The social networking site may recommend to the user another individual as a potential friend and also provide a personalized web page for the user to interact with those that the user has identified as “friends” via the social networking site.
Some social networking sites provide functions for members to create user profiles, send messages to other members who are their “friends,” and personalize web pages available to friends and/or the general public. Through these functions, social networking sites can connect people at low cost and very high efficiency. Some entrepreneurs and businesses looking to expand their contact base have recognized these benefits and are utilizing some social networking sites as a customer relationship management tool for selling their products and services.
However, not all businesses are embracing social networking sites as an additional method to exchange information between employees, clients, vendors, etc. The integration of social networking sites into businesses raises several critical concerns. What activities are people engaged in? What information is being disclosed? Who is the information being disclosed to? Is malicious or otherwise damaging material being accessed or allowed onto the business's computers? How can a business manage the activities of particular users or groups?
Currently, there are no viable solutions to these difficult questions. Some businesses have the means to block traffic to and from social networking sites. Some businesses can only hope that their employees are only using these social networking sites in the best interest of the company. There is no guarantee that the employees may police their own access to and participation at social networking sites and there is always the concern of an employee knowingly or unknowingly posting confidential information on a social networking site. Because of these risks, many companies have not realized the efficiencies and cooperative gains that may come from embracing social networking sites.